Toronto police embracing injection sites
While Windsor remains opposed, others see it as way to reduce harm
While Windsor police have warned they ’ll arrest people they see shooting up at any overdose prevention site, the Toronto Police Service has embraced the controversial approach to dealing with drug addicts — despite the downside. Toronto Police Staff Supt. Mario Di Tommaso admits the facilities attract the “criminal element” and there have been several “quality of life issues” with an “exponential increase” in complaints from residents, business owners, schools, business improvement areas and other stakeholders.
“But we also have to acknowledge that these sites do in fact save lives,” Di Tommaso said. “So for that reason we support these harm-reduction policies. Is there room for improvement? There absolutely is room for improvement.” One of the issues that Windsor police will face is an increase in crime. “When you have a bunch of individuals that have addiction issues attracted to these sites, they also attract the drug dealers,” said Di Tommaso. “So what we’re finding is we have a large number of drug dealers going down to these sites to supply drugs to the users.” There’s also a significant impact on the community and neighbours in the vicinity of the drug injection sites. “We have public urination, public defecation, we have public sex going on,” said Di Tommaso. The Windsor Essex Community Health Centre and AIDS Committee of Windsor have applied to the Ministry of Health to open a temporary overdose prevention site in the 700 block of Pelissier Street. The facility, staffed by health and outreach workers, would allow addicts to inject under supervision instead of alone in an alley or vacant building. The aim is to prevent overdoses, safely dispose of needles and give community connections for people who want to get off drugs.
Windsor Police Chief Al Frederick said last week that his department will not support the facility. Police “will not turn a blind eye” to criminal behaviour, he said, adding that “enforcement and penalties are a deterrent.” Mayor Drew Dilkens also stated he does not support the sites. Sonja Burke, director of Counterpoint Harm Reduction Services with Regional HIV/AIDS Connection in London, said police there have supported a temporary overdose prevention site since it opened in February. “They’ve incorporated harm reduction in all the services that they provide in terms of policing,” she said. “They do harm reduction training for staff. They work with us to best support people. They understand that we cannot arrest our way out of this.
“This is a health-care issue. The individuals that are experiencing addiction are the ones ending up in cells, and it’s not helping. You can research harm reduction across the world and you’ll see that it is evidence-based and it does work.” The London Police Service did not comment on its support of the sites.
London’s overdose prevention facility opened Feb. 12 in partnership with the Middlesex-London Health Unit. It has had 2,754 visits in three months from 936 individuals. Burke said the site averages about 250 visits a week. Workers there have reversed three overdoses. Burke said applications have been made for two permanent sites and a mobile unit. There has been some backlash from residents worried about having the sites close to their homes or businesses, but Burke said police, paramedics and the fire department have supported the project.
Di Tommaso said Toronto has four supervised injection sites and three overdose prevention sites. The facilities are essentially the same except that an overdose prevention site runs on temporary approval from the province. Supervised injection facilities are permanent.
“They provide a venue where if something goes wrong, if a person is in an overdose situation, there is immediate medical care that can be rendered,” Di Tommaso said.
“We have a fundamental duty under the Police Services Act to save lives, and so we support these supervised injection sites because they do save lives.”